Future of Food Part 01: From Plant Protein to Urbanization

What are the greatest challenges and opportunities facing the food industry and the worldwide food system? Let’s discuss the emerging technologies driving the next decade of change.

Josh McHugh

CEO & Editor in Chief, Attention Span

Todd Boyman

CEO, Hungry Planet

Beth Emery

Director of Dining Services, Boston College

John Ghingo

President, Applegate

Key Takeaways

When consumers are encouraged and inspired, they can change the food system, and participate in the ongoing conversation about taking care of soil and plants and animals. In turn, as these consumers try new things, like the increasingly trendy act of eating plant-based protein one day a week, both the soil and the wider food system improve.

Todd Boyman:

“I’ve eaten plant-based for 25 years, and in 2004, with some other folks, we came to the conclusion that what we really needed to do was to figure out how to perfectly mimic conventional meat.”

Beth Emery shared about a change in her work:

“The more that I got the students involved in our strategic planning and our ideation, the more likely we were going to be able to implement. The key piece in the last five years in this space has been growing students interest in sustainability”

John Ghingo:

“The change in the industry, the change for the food world is going to happen in the natural, organic, sustainable food space.” He also said, “Get one step closer to where your food comes from.”